Japan's lower house on Tuesday approved bilateral civil nuclear accords with Vietnam, Jordan, Russia and South Korea, the Kyodo News reported.

The House of Representatives passed the accords, which will be effective in January 2012 if they are approved by the House of Councilors during the ongoing parliamentary session.

The session will end on Friday, December 9, unless extended.

The agreements will lay the legal foundation for Japanese companies to export nuclear equipment and technology, according to Kyodo News.

The agreements come at a time when there are persistent concerns about the safety of nuclear power in the wake of the crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant.

Japan signed the accords with the four countries before the world's worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl occurred at the power plant, following Japan's March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Under the nuclear agreement signed by Vietnam and Japan on October 31, Japan will help finance nuclear construction in Vietnam by providing low-interest loans and will train about 1,000 Vietnamese staff to operate atomic power facilities, according to Bloomberg.